Plaque-hanger.



N0. 686,60l. Patented Nov. I2, I90!. J. FRENZEL.

PLAQUE HANGER.

(Application filed. May 28, 1901.)

wlmsssss UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH FRENZEL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PLAQU E- HANG ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 686,601, dated November 12, 1901.

Application filed May 28, 19 1.

To all whom, it Wmy concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH FRENZEL, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York, borough of Queens, in. the State of New York, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Plaque-Hangers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved hanger for plaques and simi'lararticles, which can be adjusted for different sizes of plaques and which holds the plaque in a firm and reliable manner for suspension on the wall; and the invention consists of a plaque hanger which comprises a main piece bent of springwire and provided with intercrossing legs havin g bent-up hooks at their lower ends and a second V-shaped piece having an enlarged hook at its lower end, in which the spring-legs of the main piece pass at such an angle as to overcome the friction with the hook when they are drawn out of normal position, and bent-over hooks at the upper ends of its legs, the hooks at the lower ends of the spring-legs of the main piece and at the upper ends of the V-shaped piece holding the plaque in position for suspension, as will be fully described hereinafter and finally pointed out in the claims. 4

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a front view of my improved hanger, showing it with a plaque suspended therefrom. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively a front view and a side View of the hanger, and Figs. 5 and 6 are a front view and side view of a modifiedconstruction of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

, Referring to the drawings, A represents the main portion of my improved plaque-hanger. This is formed of spring wire of approximately U shape, the upper ends of said springwire being preferably bent into the shape of a coil a or into semicircular shape, so as to afiord a convenient means for suspending the, hanger. The lower parts or legs a of the U- shaped main portion arecrossed and provided with bent-up hooks a at their lower ends. Said legs are held in crossed position by the V-shaped portion B, which is likewise made of spring-wire, its lower end being bent-up so as to form a hook I), that retains the spring- Serial No. 62,203. (No model.)

legs a in position, while the legs I) of the V- shaped portion B are passed through said coil aand provided with downwardly-bent hooks o The hooked ends of the members A and B are preferably curved so as to project in forward direction, thereby giving sufficient room for the plaque. When the upper ends of the V-shaped portion l5 and the lower ends of the U-shaped portion A are pulled in op-.

posite directions, the hanger is elongated sufficiently so as to be easily applied to a plaque of round, oval, or other shape, the inturned hooks a and the inturned hooks b engaging, respectively, the upper and lower ends of the plaque, while by the spring-legs a of the main portion working in the hook I) the two parts of the hanger are connected, so as to be firmly retained on the plaque by the spring tension of the parts. The spring-legs pass at such an angle through their engaging hook as to overcome the friction of the same therewith when drawn out of normal position. By means of the coil or bend a the hanger can be readily hung up with a plaque to a nail, as shown in Fig. 2, or by means of a wire from the picture-molding, as desired. In place of the V-shaped portion a straight portion D, provided with a hook-shaped lower end (1 and a downwardlybent hook d at its upper end, can be used, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, this construction being adapted for smaller and lighter plaques, while the construction first shown is preferable for larger and heavier plaques, where at least four hook-shaped contacts are desired.

The'simpler form, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, is applied in the same manner to the plaque as the form shown in Figs. 1 to 4;, and the operation is the same, the spring tension of the legs of the U-shaped member .0 serving by causing said legs to move in the hook cl to draw the member D inwardly, thereby causing the hook dand the hooks c of the springlegs 0 to approach.

My improved plaque-hanger is intended to be made up in difierent sizes, so as to provide for the convenient hanging up of difierent sizes of plaques and the easy taking down of the same. It furnishes a cheap and neat hanger, especially when the wire portions are finished in nickel or suitable plating, the hanger being conveniently applied to or detached from the hooks by simply taking hold of the hooks at their opposite ends and pulling the same in opposite directions, so that the plaque is released, and then letting them go, so that the hanger is returned into its normal position by the tension of the spring-legs of the main portion, as before described.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A plaque hanger, consisting of a U- shaped main portion having crossed springlegs provided at the ends with inturned hooks for engaging a plaque, and a second portion provided at one end with a hook engaging the legs of the main portion, and at the other end with an inturned hook for engaging the plaque, said crossed spring-legs passing at such an angle through their engaging hook as to overcome the friction of the same therewith when drawn out of normal position, substantially as set forth.

2. A plaque-hanger, consisting of a main portion of approximately U shape, having crossed spring-legs provided at the ends with inturned hooks for engaging a plaque, and a V-shaped portion provided at its inner end with a hook engaging the legs of the main portion, and the legs of said V-shaped portion being provided each with an inturned hook for engaging the plaque, said crossed spring-legs passing at such an angle through their engaging hook as to overcome the friction of the same therewith when drawn out of normal position, substantially as set forth.

3. A plaque-hanger, consisting of an approximately U-shaped main portion formed in a coil at its upper end and having crossed spring-legs providedat their ends with inturned hooks, and aV-shaped portion bent at its lower end into the shape of a hook engaging the crossed legs of the U-shaped portion, and inturned hooks at the outer ends of the legs of the V-shaped portion, said legs being passed through the coil of the main portion, and said crossed spring-legs passing at such an angle through their engaging hook as to overcome the friction of the same therewith when drawn out of normal position, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

J OSEPII FRENZEL.

Witnesses:

PAUL GonPEL, JOSEPH H. NILES. 

